Ume ( Plum Blossoms ) at Tokyo ’s Yushima Tenjin shrineIt ’s an cloud-covered , inhuman day in Tokyo as we await for the JR train to take us to Yushima Tenjun shrine to view my favorite flowered and ethnic issue in the great city of Tokyo , the bloom and celebration of the Ume plums . The idea of viewing plum tree blossoms , or Ume , has a long and plenteous chronicle in Japan . Do n’t jumble these with Sakura , the cherry blossoms though , the Plum , or sometimes referred to as Apricot , are actually varieties of Prunus mume , hardy in the US to about USDA Zone 7 , and sometimes zone 6 , if protected . In Tokyo ’s mild mood which is closer to zone 9 , , the few winter C. P. Snow are kick the bucket by other February , and that is when the Ume plum tree start their farsighted blooming period which sometimes last a calendar month or so .
festival fence in the blooming of many plant life in Japan , but Ume starts the season , and on a cold-blooded , sunny Saturday , I was able to recreate my sojourn three years ago , where i attended the Tokyo Grand Prix orchid show , the snow peony ’s in Ueno green and the bloom of the Ume plum tree . My only day off during my workplace head trip , gave me full access to these domain , so I will share them with you now .
Viewing plums dates back to the Nara Period ( 710 – 794 ) , J when the Japanese started to organize : viewings , at temples , around Ume ( 梅 , Japanese Plum Blossoms , since they were the first flower that signaled that Spring was near . Around the Heian Period , however , Sakura ( the showy cherry red Blossom ) viewing parties became more democratic among the elite group . Ume stay more unemotional , however , and they still seem to draw the crowds to a issue of shrines around the country , where at least a dozen Ume festivals are occurring this spring , consummate with street solid food , euphony , Ume wine-coloured , Ume cookies , Ume jewellery , Ume bonsai , and Ume fallal . even the white potato being grilled are cut into the shape of the Ume .
Ume wine-coloured for sale
Ume Blossoms in Bloom
Crowds issue forth traditionally with students , who write orison plaques in hopes that they pass off their entrance test . Wishes are bind in the shrine
On weekends , traditional dancing and music accompany the viewing . Very much like a US church even , here , the generation queer as young nipper run around and corrode the particular treats , and high schooltime kids sing on point , as their sublime mothers don traditional frock and the father take hundreds of picture .
Bonsai reading of the big , ancient Ume .
A sensational white Ume bonsai – perfection .
The best bonsai are expose in the Shinto shrine
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